Westmorland Road Trip: Pt 2 – Settle & Carlisle Railway: Appleby

After exploring the centre of Appleby, we made our way up to the train station, which lies on the Settle & Carlisle Railway, a famous line running from Settle in Yorkshire through to Carlisle in Cumbria (Cumberland). We pulled up in the car park, and set out to explore.

One of the first things we noticed was a large steam locomotive in a siding next to the main tracks. There was no number on it so we can’t identify which specific locomotive it is, but it looks very splendid. It was getting a bit rusty, and if you look closely at the bottom of the tender, above the wheels you can see a line of rust slowly eating through it but I am sure this fine engine will be restored at some point in the near future.

We made our way up onto the pedestrian footbridge, and from there you get a great view across both platforms, and the old station buildings. Trains are quite scarce, as on the normal timetable trains run around every 2 hours, often meeting here as they travel in either direction.

The main services run from Carlisle through to Leeds via Settle, and the famous Ribblehead Viaduct in Yorkshire, which has 24 arches rising 104 feet tall, with an incredible 1.5 million bricks used in it’s construction.

Appleby Train Station opened in 1876, as Appleby station, which it was rebranded in 1968 after a name change in 1952 to Appleby West (due to an old station called Appleby East nearby although it is now closed). The station was originally operated by the Midland Railway, before becoming part of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway in 1923. It was finally nationalised in 1948, however it is now owned by Northern Rail after the privatisation of the British Rail industry. The line begins at Settle, where a junction takes trains on to Leeds, and ends at Carlisle via Langwathby, Lazonby, Ribblehead, Appleby, Kirkby Stephen and more.

After the findings of Dr Beeching in the 1960’s there were plans to abolish the line, but luckily they were shelved, and the line was kept open, albeit with only 2 stations remaining, Settle and Appleby. The rest of the line was eventually reopened and full passengers services restored, as only 2 trains a day ran through the 2 remaining stations.

The whole line is 73 miles long, from the Settle junction, however the services provided extend to the Yorkshire city of Leeds, which is around another 42 miles away. If the West Coast Main Line is down or obstructed Virgin Trains services are diverted along this line and re-emerge onto the mainline at Carlisle, although there is no electricity on the line so Pendolinos are hauled by diesel locomotives.

From the footbridge you also get a fantastic view of the surrounding countryside, and down into the town centre, with the England flag flying proudly on top of the tower of St Lawrence’s church visible down below.

We soon left Appleby behind, after a fantastic morning exploring the town and the railway. Our next stop was the imposing ruins of Brough Castle, around 10 miles away…

Westmorland Road Trip: Pt 1 – Appleby

Our next trip was to the Historic County of Westmorland, which was absorbed, along with a part of Lancashire, and the whole of Cumberland, into Cumbria in 1974. The old boundaries still exist in law and many people are proud to say they are from Westmorland. Our journey started in the Westmorland county town of Appleby…

Appleby:

Status: Eden District, Cumbria (Historically Westmorland), Town, England

Date: 26/05/2014

Travel: Car

Eating & Sleeping: Appleby Bakery

Attractions: Appleby Castle, Appleby Horse Fair, Low Cross, High Cross, Jubilee Bridge, Sandstone Bridge, River Eden, The Cloisters, St Michael’s Church, St Lawrence’s Church, South Africa Memorial, War Memorial, Moot House, Tourist Information etc

We parked up on the high street (known as Boroughgate) in the centre of town, where many of the local attractions can be found. The centrepiece of the street is the beautiful Moot Hall, which also contains the Tourist Information office at the far end (it was originally home to various butcher shops). There are two plaques on the building, one dated 1179, to commemorate the first Town Charter, and one to show the buildings construction date, back in 1596.

It’s a great looking building inside, and going into the Tourist Info office we could see the enormous wooden beams holding up the ceiling, in amongst the more modern light fixtures and walls. There are a number of souvenirs of the town, with a few relating to the towns position close to the Lake District, as well as the Appleby Horse Fair, held annually in the town. Hundreds of spectators, horse riders and Gypsy Travellers from all the over the UK descend on the town for around a week. It started in 1685, when a charter was granted by King James II (1633 – 1701) to start the fair near the river Eden which flows through the town.

Note that the Moot Hall is also flying a flag at one end. This is the flag of Westmorland, which was registered in 2011. It features a golden apple tree (representing Appleby) and the white and red bars of the Barons of Kendal. It celebrates the recognition of historic Westmorland, and now flies in various parts of the old county borders. The overall design is based on the coat of arms previously held by Westmorland county council.

At the end of the street, before the Church, is the low Cross. The road slopes up at the other end, leading to the high cross. The High Cross is the original 17th century Cross, whilst the Low Cross is a copy created in the 18th century.

It bears a sundial at the top on the right, along with an ornate weather vain on the top. We got up to the High Cross later on, but the Low Cross contrasted well with the blue sky. It was a beautiful day for a road trip, and Appleby is one of those places that looks great in any weather, but even more amazing in the sun, and what’s great about the town, and the high street is how many of the older buildings have survived, giving it a good sense of character.

To enter the Churchyard, you pass through the beautiful Cloisters, which consists of 7 arches between the two towers. Constructed in 1811 by Robert Smirke (1780 – 1867, English Architect), it provides a fine front to the Church as well as an end to the whole street, with this area being the main Market Square. The Cloisters also help to separate the busy town from the more quiet inner sanctum of the Church.

Behind the three central arches are the Iron Gates leading through to the Churchyard. There are benches inside and it’s a great place to sit and watch the world go by, as the Market Place is often a hive of activity.

This is the Church in question, St Lawrence’s. It is the Parish Church of Appleby, falling under the jurisdiction of the wider diocese of Carlisle. The building itself looks reasonably new, as it is has been well cared for over the years. In actual fact, the oldest section of the building, the lower section of the tower was built in 1150, nearly 900 years ago! The South Porch was added later in the 13th century, with the rest of the church following over the next 200 years.

In 1655 the church was restored by Lady Anne Clifford (1590 – 1676, Countess of Dorset) and various sections of the building, including the North Chapel benefited for a rebuild. Originally the interior was a lot plainer, until the fine ceilings were added by Christopher Hodgson in the 1830’s, with more restorations in the following decades. I did try the door but it was locked, and many smaller churches are only open for services. One of the most well known features inside is the Organ, given to the Church in 1683 by Carlisle Cathedral, which it was originally built for in 1661.

The Churchyard is a beautiful place, with old stones and graves at various angles, having stood the test of the time.

We soon wandered down to the river Eden, and what an incredible sight it was. You can walk down either side of the river, the two banks being separated by the double arched sandstone bridge, built in the 1880’s to replace a much older, unsafe medieval bridge.

It’s a great place to sit and relax around here, with the older stone buildings on the far side flanked by tall trees, and a variety of river wildlife, and on this side you will find the local Cricket Club a bit further down the path. I wonder how often they have to go swimming in the river to find the ball, as it’s right next to the river bank on the far side of the path.

The Eden itself began it’s journey not too far from here, on the border between Cumbria and Yorkshire, high up in the Yorkshire Dales. After running through Appleby it proceeds to flow through the Eden District of Cumbria (from which it takes it’s name) and finally to Carlisle, and out into the Solway Firth near Gretna.

From the river we decided to go around the whole town in a large circle, which meant walking back up the high street, and up to the top of the road towards the Castle. As this section of the road slopes upwards it affords a great view back down into the Market Square, with the Moot Hall, Low Cross, Cloisters and Parish Church all visible down below.

As we kept going up the slope, staying on the same side of the road, we came across something incredible…

A seemingly normal looking gate blending into the wall leads you through into the most amazing little courtyard, with a fountain as it’s centrepiece. Although all the buildings around the outside of the square are private houses, the locals are very friendly and are used to visitors coming in for a look around the square.

This is the site of St Anne’s Hospital, and it was built originally in 1651 by Lady Anne Clifford (whom I mentioned earlier), for 13 widows in the town and counting the red doors around the outside there are indeed 13 of these Almshouses.

It’s an amazing little find, and it’s often the most fantastic areas that are hidden away from view, so always keep an eye out for an old stone arch housing a set of gates, with a stone coat of arms next to the doorway, as more often than not it will turn out to be something special.

At the top of the slope is the High Cross, looking down into the town centre. You can’t tell it is the older of the two Crosses as both have been kept in immaculate condition. The Crosses actually mark the sites where Lady Anne erected scaffolding as part of the festivities she hosted when Charles II (1630 – 1685) was restored to the English throne at the end of the English Civil War in 1660.

Behind the Cross, right at the top of the hill is one of the many entrances to the grounds of Appleby Castle, however it’s shut to the public at this time of year as it is privately owned. We would encounter the Castle again later on our loop of the town.

The loop took us down and around the main Castle grounds, which are bounded to the side by a high stone wall. The outer streets of Appleby are very green, with trees lining the roads. The houses also all have that old style to them, with modern developments few and far between in this part of the town. It is a lovely rural setting, and part of the reason that Westmorland is one of the most beautiful counties in this part of England.

We soon encountered the River Eden again, as the town centre of Appleby is located almost on an island in the centre of the river, as it comes around it in a U shape. This section of the river flows round to our position on the banks of the river earlier, back in the centre.

An old Iron/Wood bridge once crossed the river here, between 1887 and 1968 when it was washed away by floods. 2 years later the new bridge was opened by the Mayor of Appleby, and it is a popular walk for locals and tourists alike.

From the bridge, you get an amazing view up to Appley Castle, and the Mansion House that is one of the main parts of the complex. Aside from the Mansion House, there is also a large square tower, known as Caesars Tower.

The tower is the oldest part of the Castle, having been constructed in 1170 by Ranulf le Meschin (1070 – 1129, 3rd Earl of Chester). William the Lion (1143 – 1214, Scottish King) invaded the valley in 1174 and took the Castle with no resistance. At some point prior to 1203 it was retaken by the English, and King John (1166 – 1216) granted the Castle to Robert de Vieuxpont (Local Landowner). In 1269 it passed to Roger de Clifford and his family retained possession for the next 4 centuries, and it was during this time that the main parts of the house were built, in the 13th century, with the East end of the house being added in 1454.

Returning again to Lady Anne, the Castle was bought by her after the Civil War, and she restored the damage done during a siege of the war in 1648. Caesars tower also underwent some restoration, with the top of the tower being altered over the next 2 centuries. The house was rebuilt in 1686, and in 1972 Ferguson Industrial Holdings took control, before vacating in 1990. It is now a private house, but it is available as a Wedding Venue, and the perfect way to celebrate. Other events such as Conferences and Meetings can also be held here, and there are tours available by appointment starting around Summer Time. Check out the official website here to find out more. Here you can find a great view from above and it’s amazing how large it actually is, and for such a small town of Appleby it really is incredible.

Having crossed the river we were on the return portion of the loop, and passed the second church of the day. It looks very similar to St Lawrence’s, however it is called St Michael’s, and is actually now a private residence, although it did begin life as a Church back in the 12th century. What an incredible place to live, especially if the tower is still accessible as the view from up there would be fantastic, with the Castle possibly visible from up there as well.

Our last stop was the town’s War Memorial, located where the small road down to the bridge meets up with the main road, Bongate, which runs round from here back to our start point by the river. This particular memorial is in remembrance of the Second Boer War in South Africa in 1900 and the locals from the town who saw active service there.. Another memorial commemorates the Great Wars, and stands in the churchyard of St Lawrence’s.

We had one more stop after this in the town, but I shall leave that for my next post, when we made a visit to the Settle & Carlisle Railway…

Appleby is a fantastic little town, and it’s a shame that administratively Westmorland no longer exists, but at least the old county has been recognised officially and its great to see the new Westmorland flag flying proudly in the Market Square. There is plenty to see in the town, and it’s great rural location close to the Lake District, Carlisle, Penrith and Kendal as well as the direct rail links on to Carlisle, Settle and Leeds makes it a great place to explore from.

The Appleby Horse Fair is a major draw, but if it’s not your cup of tea you can take a tour around the Castle, enjoy the old churches or just sit and relax by the river. Whatever you decide, you won’t be disappointed, and a range of historic pubs and restaurants afford great views down the river and across the Market Square, and I think it is one of the most picture perfect towns in the area.

Stockport and Bury: Pt 4 – Prestwich, Greater Manchester

Our last stop was the town of Prestwich, just down from Radcliffe and Bury. Gemma’s family also grew up around here so we stopped for a quick look. It’s only a small town but we found a very pleasant fountain to have lunch next too…

Prestwich:

Status: Bury District, Greater Manchester (Historically Lancashire), Town, England

Date: 19/05/2014

Travel: Metrolink (Bury – Prestwich, via Radcliffe), Metrolink (Radcliffe – Market Street), Metrolink (Piccadilly Gardens – Anchorage)

Eating & Sleeping: Greggs

Attractions: Metrolink, Our Lady of Grace Church, The Retreat Fountain, Co-Operative Hall etc

After leaving the Metrolink Station, it is a very short walk into the town centre and the shopping streets. We headed straight for Greggs, however on the way two large buildings caught our eye so we diverted there first. The first of these was Our Lady of Grace, a Roman Catholic church which looks quite similar to the Cathedral we saw in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

I love the red brick exterior, which dates back to 1931. The movement itself was brought to the town in 1889, when Fr. David Walshe began a mission. He soon acquired the Co-Operative Hall and opened a Church/Sunday School. It was his successors successor who built the new church in 1931.

This is the building directly next to the previous one, and it has a small metal spire on top. We were curious as to the buildings function, but some research soon told us that this is the original Co-Operative Hall where the Church/School was opened by Mr Walshe. The new Church was built right next to the old one. There is a clear difference in building styles, but they both have their own charms.

After picking up lunch we wandered down the High Street, where there are some old buildings dotted around. The first one we found was the old Liberal Club building, founded in 1877. It’s a lovely building, and harks back to the Victorian Era.

Next was the White Horse Pub, which has been at the heart of Prestwich for over 70 years. Again it looks Victorian, and is one of those great pubs that keeps an old building alive and in use.

Further along the high street is the Natwest Bank building, with a small clock above the main entrance. I haven’t found a date for this building, however most Banks reside in a building that was specifically built either for them or another Bank, so it is probably at least Victorian.

We settled with our lunch around the edge of the impressive Fountain on the way back towards the tram stop. This area is Prestwich Village, the heart of the town.

The Fountain is located in the Longfield Centre, a kind of shopping precinct built in the 1970’s that includes a Library and Health Centre. The Fountain itself was designed by an artist called Isabella Lockett, and commissioned by Bury Borough Council. It is called “The Retreat” and was installed back in 2004, and is actually quite interesting.

On the right, where there is the sudden vertical drop at the end, water cascades down in a waterfall. Just next to it, another stream of water runs down the slope and into a drain. A similar set up occurs on the left on the lower level.

We soon left for the station, and back into Manchester. Prestwich is only a small town but it was a pleasant stop, and we really enjoyed having lunch next to the brilliant fountain.

Stockport and Bury: Pt 3 – Radcliffe, Greater Manchester

Our next stop was the town of Radcliffe, a few miles out of Bury, heading towards Manchester. Gemma’s Dad and Grandparents grew up here, and there were some buildings of important family historical importance to her here…

Radcliffe:

Status: Bury District, Greater Manchester (Historically Lancashire), Town, England

Date: 19/05/2014

Travel: Metrolink (Bury – Radcliffe), Metrolink (Radcliffe – Market Street, via Prestwich)

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Old Town Hall, Cenotaph, St Thomas’s Church etc

Leaving the Metrolink Station, it was only a few minutes walk down to the former Town Hall, located at the junction of Spring Lane and Blackburn Street. It’s an incredibly detailed building. Radcliffe is only a small town so it was a nice surprise.

This beautiful building was built back in 1911, and contained a council chamber on the 1st floor, a public gallery, and a number of committee rooms. It has now been converted into flats (1999), and the more central tower has also disappeared.

Across the road is the Radcliffe Cenotaph, erected in 1922 as a Memorial to the fallen of World War I, and then later World War II. The British Flag flies proudly in front of it, and there are some finely sculpted bronze statues above the name plaques.

Our main stop was the Church of St Thomas, where Gemma’s Grandparents got married in 1960. You get a great view of the Church from the Metrolink Line/Station as the Station is much higher up than we are now.

This fine Church took 9 years to build, with construction starting in 1862, when the foundation stone was laid by Viscount Grey de Wilton, Seymour John Grey Egerton (1839 – 1898). It was finally consecrated in 1864, by the Bishop of Manchester, James Prince Lee (1804 – 1869). The Tower wasn’t added until 1870, and is today it’s stand out feature. In 1871 the tower was complete, and the Church has remained the same ever since. The modern building replaces the previous and original St Thomas’s (1819) which was demolished just before construction started on the new Church.

Inside it is beautifully decorated, and one of it’s main interior features is a large organ that once belonged to York Minster. The entrance to the Church is lined with large trees on either side, and you get the feeling you are passing back in time into a lovely rural setting.

Radcliffe is an interesting and quite rural town. We did miss a few things as we mainly visited to find the house Gemma’s Grandma grew up in, which we did. We will be in the area a few more times soon so we will nip and have a look for the Clock Tower in the shopping area.

Radcliffe is easily accessible by bus from Bury, as well as the Metrolink System between Manchester City Centre and Bury. You can change in Manchester for Network Rail services to most major destinations in the UK, from Glasgow to Liverpool to London, as well as trams to Rochdale, Ashton and Salford. I quite like Radcliffe, and living on the outskirts of one of England’s most beloved cities, yet still in a rural setting, must be quite special indeed.

Stockport and Bury: Pt 2 – Bury, Greater Manchester

We moved back into Manchester City Centre, and changed trams after coming back from Piccadilly Station, to head towards the town of Bury…

Bury:

Status: Bury District, Greater Manchester (Historically Lancashire), Town, England

Date: 19/05/2014

Travel: Metrolink (Piccadilly – Piccadilly Gardens), Metrolink (Market Street – Bury)

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Bury Town Hall, East Lancashire Railway , Tourist Information, Bury Castle Ruins, Castle Armoury, Robert Peel Statue, Parish Church, St Marie’s, Fusilier Museum, Museum & Art Gallery, Transport Museum, Kay Gardens etc

We left the Tram Stop, which is underneath the bus station, making the two stations a combined interchange. As soon as we walked into Bury Town Centre, just over the road from the station, we found the Kay Gardens, with the intricate curling hedges which I rather liked. In the centre of the gardens is a memorial to John Kay himself. Mr Kay was born in 1704, in the nearby village of Walmersley. His main claim to fame is that he was the inventor of the Flying Shuttle, a key component of the Weaving Machine that allowed larger fabrics to be used and it allowed the looms to become automatic. It’s quite complicated to explain, but this is what it looks like and most of you should have seen one of these at some point. He passed away in sometime around 1779, and the memorial was erected in his honour in 1908. It’s a great tribute to a man who was overlooked until recently.

Opposite the gardens is the Mill Gate Shopping Centre, which takes up a large section of Bury’s town centre. It opened in the 1990’s, replacing a concrete precinct that had been built to replace the original shopping area.

Its a very modern looking building, and no where near as drab as some other shopping centres we have seen, so it doesn’t affect the landscape too much. Around the back of the building is the famous Bury Market. There has been a market here since at least 1444, and the new hall was built in the 1990’s on the site of the National Westminster Bank building. The Market is open on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

We kept moving through the town, and past the end of the Shopping Centre, we found a large square with ornate buildings on all sides. Of course the stand out feature was Bury Parish Church, of Saint Mary the Virgin, and it’s position up a slight incline makes it the highest building in Bury.

Strangely, the oldest part of the building is the spire, which was built in 1842. The main church was then designed later by Joseph Stretch Crowther (1820 – 1893, English Architect) with the nave rising higher than the base of the spire. The two parts of the church were then joined together using something called a Narthex, which is like the entrance area. You can see this really well on the picture, as the Spire/Tower is standalone, with a small porch then behind it leading to the main section of the church itself. The Narthex now contains a cafe and a shop.

Inside the Church is incredible, and one of the most detailed parish Churches we have visited in a long time. Inside are a variety of flags, including Regimental ones as the Church was the Garrison Church for the Lancashire Fusiliers. The Fusiliers were formed in 1688, and merged with other regiments to create the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in 1968. One of the most famous members was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892 – 1973, Author who wrote The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings). Outside the Church is a large War Memorial, which commemorates the World Wars.

The rest of the square is made up of a statue of another famous son of the area, Sir Robert Peel (1788 – 1850) who was born in nearby Ramsbottom. He served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, between 1834 – 1835, and 1841 – 1846. He was responsible for the modern police force, and the formation of the Conservative Party.

The statue was erected in 1851, and the 3.5 metre high statue was cast in bronze by Edward Hodges Bailey (1788 – 1867, English Sculptor from Bristol, who also created the Nelson Statue at the top of Nelsons Column in London).

Behind Sir Robert is “The Robert Peel” a local pub now part of J D Wetherspoon, housed in an old stone building which also hides a small road which leads to one of Bury’s little secrets that we only discovered when we arrived…

The Bury Castle Armoury was built in 1863, on the site of Bury Castle, which dates back to the 13th Century. The remains of the Castle are visible in the trench in front of the Armoury. Aside from being used for meetings, the Armoury is also used for conferences, functions, wedding receptions etc and is capable of holding up to 800 people.

The Castle was actually an old manor house, built by Sir Thomas Pilkington in 1469, who was the lord of the local Manors of Bury and Pilkington. Permission was given by the reigning monarch, Edward VI (1442 – 1483) and at the time there were few other buildings around so it was a good defence, watching the nearby River Irwell. This was one of the earliest buildings in Bury, which actually comes from an old word for Castle. The earliest settlers here are thought to be the Romans, who also founded Manchester (Mamucium) and Ribchester (Bremetennacum).

Sir Thomas was a traitor however and supported the House of York in the Wars of the Roses, rather than the House of Lancaster, so Henry VII (1457 – 1509) had the building destroyed, and took all of Thomas’s lands. There were extensive ruins, however these were looted and the stone used to create new buildings. It was in 1973 that more ruins were discovered, so the council decided to restore them and they have been visible for all to see since 2000.

We moved back towards the Church, where we had spotted an interesting building during our earlier exploration. It is part of the “Union Buildings” and was built in 1874, in a Neo-Medieval style.

Moving past here to the right you would enter the pedestrianised shopping area of the town.

Our next stop was somewhere I haven’t been for around 15 years, by going down the road on the left of the Robert Peel. This is the East Lancashire Railway, that my parents brought me too as a child.

The actual line itself, which ran regular passenger trains, opened in 1846, and was closed in the 1980’s. It was reopened in 1987 as a heritage railway, running between Bury and Ramsbottom. It has been extended a number of times, from the 1991 extension to Rawtenstall from Ramsbottom, to the 2003 change to have the line terminate at Heywood, the line running beyond Bury.

All but two of the original stations have reopened, and the Bury station is called Bury Bolton Street, the original main station for Bury. Aside from the ELR, there is no passenger train station in the town, however the Manchester Metrolink has assumed some of these functions running into Central Manchester. Bolton Street opened in 1846, as simply Bury. When the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway took over the original East Lancashire Railway, they renamed it Bury Bolton Street, in 1866.

Steam trains run up an down the line, running a total of 12 miles, from Heywood, through Bury and on to Rawtenstall. A new station front was built here in 1952 as the old burnt down after World War II. If your interested in the line you can visit their website here. Just over the road from the station is the Bury Transport Museum, and the station also has a gift shop.

We left the station, and started walking back round to the Metrolink station, going around the back of the town centre. On the way we passed numerous interesting buildings, starting with the Old Bank Building. This classical building was opened in 1868 by Blackwell & Son & Booth.

It is one over a few banks in the town, as opposite it on the same street is the Grade II Union Bank of Manchester building from 1904. Both of these buildings are located on Silver Street, which runs past the Fusilier Museum, and meets up with Manchester Road to run down to the Town Hall.

This is the Fusiliers Museum in question, just down the road from the two Bank buildings. I like the Land Rover outside being used as a large flower pot, and the numberplate reads “Bury in Bloom”.

The Museum also includes the local Tourist Information Office (which celebrates Bury’s long standing Lancashire history), along with various galleries about the history of the Fusiliers and Bury itself. The Museum occupies the former School of Art & Crafts building. It is only this end of the building that is the new modern section, as shown on the picture, as the front is the Grade II listed school section, which was built in 1893. The museum was opened by the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward, in 2009.

It’s a fascinating look into the old weapons, medals and honours they once used, and it’s only a few minutes walk from the other main attractions in Bury. You can find more information on their website here.

We kept moving down the street, to where it becomes Manchester Road. There are at least 7 Grade II listed buildings on this road. At the back of the picture, directly opposite the Fusiliers Museum is the Bury Art Gallery and Museum, which contains a number of exhibits about the town, and a variety of galleries. One of the most famous collections is called the Wrigley Collection, which has over 200 oil paintings, prints and ceramics by Thomas Wrigley (1808 – 1880) the noted Victorian Paper Manufacturer.

The second building along is the Bury Textile Hall, built sometime before 1895. There was once a turreted roof above the main entrance, however this is no longer present. I love the twin columns above the main entrance, and this road is surely one of the most impressive in Bury for it’s architecture.

Further down we passed another of Bury’s impressive churches. St Marie’s was founded in 1842. The congregation itself was founded around 1825 when a room was bought on Clerke Street for mass to be done, by Reverend Michael Trappes as before 1825 Bury was run by a priest from nearby Rochdale. Bury’s population was growing so having it’s own church was a real bonus.

The tower is a masterpiece, and there are stone statues outside of the main entrance at street level. It is the cherry on top for a street (together with Silver Street) that contains some of the finest buildings in this area of Lancashire, outside of Manchester.

We kept going to the end of the road, and looked across the A58 main road. Bury Town Hall stared back at us, in all it’s glory.

The original Town Hall is located in the town centre, on Market Street. The fine “Derby Hall” as it has become known was built in the 1840’s, by the then Earl of Derby (13th) Edward Smith-Stanley (1775 – 1851) and designed by Sydney Smirke (1798 – 1877, who also designed the circular reading room in the British Museum). When the Derby estate was sold, Bury Council bought the building, however since 1979 it has been run as a theatre by a charity called Bury Metropolitan Arts Association.

The current Town Hall was built later, although I am unable to find a date so far but it was built before the 1950’s at least. It’s a beautiful construction, and runs for almost a whole block. Past the end of it, is an ornate Clock Tower, designed by Maxwell and Tuke.

Our last stop was the Old Picture House, sat opposite the combined Bus & Metrolink interchange station. Now a pub, it was historically an old cinema, which began life in 1911 when an old Baptist Chapel was converted into a cinema. This was demolished and replaced with the current building in 1922.

It’s a stunning building, and whilst sadly main others around the country have been demolished, this one was saved and although it is now just a pub, you can still admire the architecture.

This was the end to our trip to Bury, which we wanted to visit as Gemma’s Dad, and Grandparents grew up in the area, and our next stop would be to track down where her Grandparents got married, in the town of Radcliffe, on the line back into Manchester…

Bury is a beautiful town, with history going back centuries. The quality of the architecture, buildings and landscapes is second to none, and I proud to call it a Lancashire town. Transport wise you can take a historic trip along to Rawtenstall and Ramsbottom on the East Lancashire Railway, or get a bus into Manchester City Centre. The tram network has a terminus here and runs through to Manchester where you can change for Eccles, Rochdale, Salford, Ashton-under-Lyne and many more.

Bury is a great place to visit, and it’s only around 10-15 minutes out of Manchester, so if you’re in the area it would be a good addition to any trip.

Stockport and Bury: Pt 1 – Stockport, Greater Manchester

Our next trip continued our travels around Greater Manchester, and our first stop was another Historical County Boundary, where the river Mersey runs through the town of Stockport…

Stockport:

Status: Stockport District, Greater Manchester (Historically Cheshire/Lancashire), Town, England

Date: 19/05/2014

Travel: Metrolink (Anchorage – Piccadilly), Virgin Trains (Manchester Piccadilly – Stockport)

Eating & Sleeping: Greggs

Attractions: Stockport Pyramid, Town Hall, Library, River Mersey, Merseyway Shopping Centre, Hat Museum, Air Raid Shelters, Market Place, Tourist Information, Stockport Village etc

As we left the station, we could already see the Clock Tower of Stockport’s impressive Town Hall. Walking down the road from the station to the main road, it was right there, sat on the other side of the road. It looked fantastic, and the sun was shining off it, highlighting the lovely colour of the stone. (This picture was actually taken on the way back to the station as when we arrived it was a bit cloudy).

It is a stark contrast to the more Gothic Town Halls in the rest of Greater Manchester in places like Manchester and Rochdale, with it being more akin to other cities such as Nottingham, Belfast and Portsmouth. The local council still use the building, which was designed by notable architect, Sir Alfred Brumwell Thomas (1868 – 1948) who also designed Belfast City Hall in 1906.

His designs for Stockport Town Hall were put forwards in 1905, and it opened three years, with the Prince of Wales (George, later to become George V, 1865 – 1936) and Princess of Wales (Mary of Teck, 1867 – 1953) attending.The main feature of the interior are the oak panelled rooms that hold committee meetings, and there are three of these rooms. There is also a large Council Chamber with all the furnishings appropriate to a Government building. The most famous feature however is the Wurlitzer Organ, of which only 16 were ever made. This one was originally installed at the Paramount Theatre in Manchester, and then the Free Trade Hall, also in Manchester, in 1977. It was moved to Stockport in 1999, and is unique as the only one exported outside of the USA.

We started walking towards the centre of Stockport, following the main A6 which runs past the Town Hall, towards the M60 Motorway and then into Manchester itself. On the way we passed the Central Library, another beautiful stone building that is an important part of Stockports heritage.

The first Stockport Library was built in 1875, with the Central Library opening in 1913. It is still open today, and offers a range of services to tourists and locals alike. A heritage Library is also located up on the 1st floor. In here you can find histories of local buildings, along with historical maps, newspapers and censuses.

We reached the bottom of the small hill the road was running down, and at the bottom is one of many Historic County Boundaries around the country. This one no longer has an administrative function as Stockport is part of the much wider area of Greater Manchester, however before 1974, if you looked left you would be looking at Cheshire, and looking right you would see Lancashire, with the town effectively cut into two halves.

The border is marked by the river Mersey, which is formed by the Goyt and Tame Rivers meeting just east of here, where they form the Mersey which then runs all the way from here through Widnes/Runcorn to Liverpool and the Wirral, marking the Historic Boundary as it goes. It finally flows out into the Irish Sea just past Liverpool City Centre, with frequent sailings to Republic of/Northern Ireland from Liverpool and the Wirral.

At the back of the picture you can see the famous Stockport Viaduct, which we have crossed many times on our travels leaving Manchester for various destinations such as Sheffield, Birmingham, Lichfield, Stoke etc. The Viaduct has an incredible 27 arches, and took 21 months to built, using over 11,000,000 bricks. It stands 111 feet tall, and was built by the Manchester & Birmingham Railway, and designed by George Watson Buck (1789 – 1854, Engineer who also built the Montgomeryshire Canal in Wales). Construction was completed in 1840, and made the Viaduct the largest Viaduct in the world, and today it remains one of the largest brick structures ever built. The first trains ran in 1842, heading towards Crewe. The Viaduct was electrified in the 1960’s, allowing electric trains to run directly from Manchester to London. It originally held 2 tracks, but was expanded around 1900, to allow for four tracks to run across it.

In 1948 a tragedy occured, when a Buxton Service crashed into a Crewe/Disley Service that had stopped at a signal at the south end of the Viaduct whilst waiting for a platform to become free. It was foggy that night and the driver of the moving train is thought to have heard a shout from the Assistant Porter and thought it was the Guard telling him it was safe to set off. The Buxton train was coming from Heaton Norris, North of the viaduct and main Stockport station. Five people were killed, along with 27 serious casualties.

The main bus station for Stockport is located beneath the viaduct, and visible on the left.The Stockport Hat Museum is also located off the left, but out of shot, however we got a better view of it later in the day so I shall took about it later in this post.

We walked down underneath the A6 to a small square next to the Mersey, with the Merseyway Shopping Centre located off to the left, behind our current position. The Mersey runs underneath it, re-emerging on the other side of it as the River Goyt, and it is here that the Tame meets it to form the Mersey.

Elsewhere in the square are various old Victorian Buildings, as well as the famous Plaza Cinema, shown above. Designed in 1929, it took three years for building to start, in 1932. The following year it opened, and is one of only a few of these buildings completed in the area. After a stint as a Bingo Hall from 1967, it was restored as a cinema in 2000, and is one of so many historic buildings we would see throughout the day.

We started exploring the local area, and followed the signs for Stockport Village, the ancient centre of the town. On the way, just round the corner from the Plaza Cinema we found the Stockport Air Raid Shelters, and a plaque on the wall (shown on the right) elaborated on their use:

“Air Raid Shelters. Excavated 1938 – 1939. Accommodated 4,500 people during World War II air raids which reached their peak at Christmas 1940. Re-opened for public visits in 1989.”

The Shelters run for around a mile underground, and were a key part of the towns defence, although Stockport wasn’t as heavily bombed as Manchester City Centre, which was devastated during the war.

I should point out at this point that we visited on a Monday, and the Museums, Air Raid Shelters and Tourist Information Office seem to be shut one day a week, typically a Monday, so if you are planning to visit then Monday isn’t the best day.

Our next stop was the “Three Shires” one of the oldest buildings in Stockport. There are many plaques all over the town telling bits of history, and there is one on the “Three Shires” as well:

“The Three Shires. Built c. 1580 Cheshire half-timbered town house formerly belonging to the Leghs of Adlington Hall. Shopfront inserted in 1824. At various times has housed a confectioners, bakehouse, surgery, solicitors, restaurant and wine bar.”

It’s fantastic that this building has survived so long, and when we first decided to go to Stockport we didn’t really have this view of it as being a really old place but it turns out there is lots of history everywhere. There are a few other similar looking buildings in the area, of varying sizes.

This area is cobbled and leads into the main Stockport Village area, which is on two levels.

This is the main street in the Stockport Village area and contains a variety of old shops, and further down, around the corner is the brewery,  Frederic. Robinson Unicorn Brewery. They began production back in 1838, and they own over 330 pubs in the North West of England and Wales. You can visit their website here.

Going across this area of Stockport is a metal bridge, just up behind us at this point. There are steps up to it on either side of the street and you get great views over Stockport when you climb up.

So this is the top of the bridge and you can see down through Stockport Village, the “Three Shires” is located at the end of this street, down a little road off to the left at the end.

This area of Stockport is the historic centre, and over on the left, you can see the Merseyway Shopping Centre, the rectangular white building with the blue banner at the top.

At this point, up above most of the houses we were entering the Historic Market Area of Stockport, and the Market Hall itself is shown here on the left, the large metal, white building.

The Hall was built in 1860, although originally there were no sides, so it was called “The Glass Umbrella” locally as it was just a roof supported by pillars. The sights were enclosed later, and this had been allowed for in the original design. By the 2000’s it was in a poor state, so a restoration project was set up, and new stalls laid out and designed. The Hall reopened in 2008, with the then mayor of Stockport, Pam King in attendance.

Behind the Market Hall is the local Church, St Mary’s, built in the 19th century (1770 – 1853, British Architect), to a design by Lewis Wyatt . The first Church here was built in 1190, and some parts of this building survive today, including the chancel from the 14th century. It’s a grand structure, and due to it’s position here on top of the main town it really stands out, especially travelling through Stockport on the train as it is clearly visible when you cross the viaduct, travelling both North and South.

Stockport Market originated in the 13th century, when Prince Edward (1239 – 1307, later to become Edward I) granted Stockport a market charter in 1260. This is the original market place where traders set up their stalls. Stockport Castle was in this area, making the market well protected. The Castle was demolished in 1775, and the earliest recorded mention of it was in 1173.

Stockport Market is one of the last outdoor markets in the North West of England, and also the only one in Greater Manchester still using it’s original location. The buildings around here are superb and you can really tell that this is the historic quarter as there are various stone buildings all over the square, including one of the most notable, the Stockport Market Produce Hall. This Grade II listed building was also known locally as the Hen Market, and built out of Yorkshire stone. There was once a balcony as part of the building, and proclamations were made here, including the announcement of the Coronation of George V (1865 – 1936) in 1910.

Down the next street, heading towards the Church, down the other side of the Market Hall, we passed the Staircase House, a Grade II listed building, built back in 1460 containing it’s original timbers. It is thought that the building was originally the home to Stockport Mayor, William Dodge around 1483, although new residents moved in over the following centuries, including the Shallcross Family from Derbyshire in 1605, who installed the famous Jacobean staircase.

It passed into private ownership by the 1900’s and was a cafe in 1989, before becoming a storage facility in the 1990’s, and then a tourist attraction open to the public after a lot of restoration by Stockport council. Inside you can see the historic building as well as find out about much of the history of Stockport. Next door to the building is the Tourist Information office, for any other information you might need about the town.

We left the historic centre and looked around some of the newer sections of the town, and we found a large square  located on a road that comes out at the Library and onto the A6.

It’s a large open space with numerous benches around the outside, and some pleasant stone buildings across the road, one of which you can see behind the statue of Richard Cobden (1804 – 1865, Manufacturer from Sussex). The square itself is called St Peter’s Square, named after the large Church on the other side of the square.

St Peter’s Church is the 2nd oldest church in Stockport, after the previously mentioned St Mary’s. Completed in 1888, this fine Georgian building was started in 1768 when the main part of the building was put up, a gallery being added later in 1838 and the apse in 1888. It is an unusual Church of the period as it is made out of brick, in contrast to the many stone Churches in various towns and cities, however it’s still well built and at the heart of the square.

Stockport is also on the flight path of air traffic on it’s way into nearby Manchester Airport, so as we were stood in the square various large planes flew overhead, low enough to make out their logos, so it was quite something. The building also contains a cafe and a shop, making it the perfect place to relax, or you could sit out in the square and admire the architecture on all sides.

We started walking back towards the train station, and we got a much better view of the Stockport Hat Works Museum, located inside the old Wellington Mill building from 1828, built by Thomas Marsland (1777 – 1854) and in 1872 it was leased to a spinning and cotton firm. The mill was built between Thomas’s printworks and the local turnpike road, which was built in 1826 and is now called Wellington Road.

The chimney was added in 1860, and stands at a grand height of 200 feet. The building was taken over by the Ward Brothers in 1895, and a Hat business was set up, making all kinds of hats from tweed caps to velvet hats. The remaining hat makers in 1966 merged together and created the Associated British Hat Manufacturers leaving only two factories left in production Christy’s and Wilson’s, although these closed in 1997 and 1980 respectively. 400 years of hatting ended, and the museum was set up, as the only dedicated Hat Museum in the country. The tower proudly announces the buildings function, and it is visible from miles around.

Hat making itself began in the 16th century in Lancashire and North Cheshire, and was an important part of the local economy, along with the mills.

That was our last stop, and we boarded a train bound for Manchester Piccadilly. On the way over the viaduct you can see one another landmark, the well known Stockport Pyramid, designed by a firm of Manchester Architects called Michael Hyde & Associates (based in both Manchester and Sheffield) in 1987 and completed in 1992. Sadly the developers went into administration so the building lay empty until 1995 when the Co-Operative Bank took it over, and it is now a call centre for their operations. The design is staggering and there is nothing else like it in the North West. The original plan was to build 5 of them, in a large development called “Kings Valley” after the Egyptian equivalent “Valley of Kings”. The fate of the developers ended this plan and only one of the buildings was completed.

Stockport is a really interesting town, and one of the most historic in Greater Manchester. It is easy to get too, with trains from Manchester Piccadilly calling almost every 10 minutes, on their way to various destinations from Sheffield to Birmingham, London and Bournemouth in the South. Manchester Airport is only 8.4 miles away, and the M60 Motorway runs through the town, giving good road connections to Manchester, Salford, Rochdale etc and also to other regional motorways.

Stockport has a lot of history and some of the oldest buildings we have seen in a long time. There is plenty to see, and you could spend all day looking around the various museums and attractions. You can traverse two historic counties as you explore the riverside, so if you get chance to visit the area around Manchester take some time out to see Stockport, which is only 10 minutes out of Manchester by train. We had lots more to do on our day out, and we changed at Manchester Piccadilly for a tram to Piccadilly Gardens, and a short walk took us to Market Street Tram Stop in Manchester, where we boarded a tram bound for the town of Bury…

Kirkandrews-on-Esk 2014

Between Gretna and Longtown, over in England, is the old parish of Kirkandrews-on-Esk, the location of an old church and tower house next to the river Esk…

Kirkandrews-on-esk:

Status: City of Carlisle District, Cumbria, Village, England

Date: 10/05/2014

Travel: Car

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: St Andrew’s Church, River Esk, Waverley Line etc

We pulled up outside the old Church, and you can immediately tell how old the building is. It was built back in 1776, using red sandstone to construct the strange rectangular shape. In the main tower is a small clock, capped off with a small dome atop a series of columns.

St Andrews Church is quite large, but only open on Sunday’s so we couldn’t go inside to explore. The Graveyard has graves centuries old, and around the outside of the building are a number of stained glass windows. Four of these are in the nave, built in a style from the 15th century called Rhenish.

It’s a very pleasant area, and very quiet aside from the water flowing through the nearby river, which gives it a very natural feel.

Across from the Church is the 16th Century Kirk Andrews Peel Tower. There were many Peel Towers in the area, and they were built along the Anglo-Scottish Border as defensive towers. Other Peel Towers including Smailholm Tower in the Scottish Borders, and Preston Tower in the English county of Northumberland.

There were lots of new born lambs out in the field in front of the tower (which has now been converted into a modern living space inside), captivating Gemma’s attention!

The river Esk is clearly visible flowing past the end of the Churchyard, and in front of it sits a small Memorial, erected in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, who was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in 1952. A shield on the front of it bears the three English Lions.

On the way out of the parish, we noticed this old train station, which has now been converted into a house. The remains of the platform is visible at the back of the structure. We knew immediately which line this station was once on, the Waverley Line between Carlisle and Edinburgh via the Scottish Borders region.

The Waverley Line opened in stages, with the first, to the town of Hawick being completed in 1849. The second stage took the line to Carlisle in 1862. It was built by the North British Railway Company, and was named after the novels of Sir Walter Scott (1771 – 1832, Scottish Novelist and Poet). The Beeching Ace in the 1960’s saw the closure of various lines in the UK seen as unprofitable, and the Waverley Line was one of them. The last passenger train ran on 1969, closing the more direct route to Edinburgh from Carlisle. Now trains have to run from Carlisle up to Carstairs near Glasgow and go across to Edinburgh.

The line has had a reprieve recently however, as the Scottish Government announced in 2006 that the line would be rebuilt between Edinburgh and Tweedbank, just south of the town of Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. It is possible it may be extended to Carlisle one day in the future. The station in Kirk Andrews was called Scotch Dyke, and was one of the last before Carlisle. It closed much earlier than the Waverley Line itself however, in 1949. All traffic ceased in 1969 when the whole route shut, and the line was taken up in 1971.

We only had a quick stop in the area, but it’s worth a look if you are near Carlisle, Gretna or Longtown, although it’s only really accessible by car, you would have a long wait if you wanted to use the station!

Greater Manchester Towns: Pt 3 – Rochdale

Our last stop of the day was to the town of Rochdale, somewhere I have been looking forwards to visiting for a while. It’s a reasonably large town, on the edges of Greater Manchester, with one of the most beautiful buildings outside Manchester itself…

Rochdale:

Status: Rochdale District, Greater Manchester (Historically Lancashire), Town, England

Date: 16/05/2014

Travel: Stagecoach (Banks – Southport), Northern Rail (Southport – Ashton-under-Lyne), Northern Rail (Ashton-under-Lyne – Rochdale, via Manchester Victoria), Northern Rail (Manchester Victoria – Southport)

Eating & Sleeping: Greggs

Attractions: Rochdale Town Hall, War Memorial, River Roch, Old Post Office, Pioneers Museum, Post Office, Fire Station, Manchester Metrolink, Tourist Information, Heritage Centre, Touchstone Gate Posts, St Chad’s Church & Steps etc

When we first looked at going to Rochdale, I had a quick look at what Rochdale had to offer, without trying to spoil everything for myself. One thing instantly grabbed me and I was very excited to get an up close look at it, and you can see this truly stunning building on the left of the above picture.

Rochdale Town Hall is a marvel of Engineering, style and architecture. It is second to only Manchester Town Hall in the whole of Lancashire, and the top of the iconic Clock Tower is visible from all over the town.

The history of this incredible building began in 1864 when a competition was held to design a new Town Hall. The winner was a man called William Henry Crossland (1835 – 1908, Architect from Huddersfield), and John Bright (1811 – 1889, British Radical from Rochdale) laid the foundation stone in 1866. Five years later, in 1871, the building was completed, and was one of the grandest buildings in the north of England. There has been on major change over the years however, as the original wooden spire on top of the tower was destroyed by a fire in 1883, and the whole Clock Tower was rebuilt. The original stood at 240 feet tall whilst the new one was slightly shorter at 190 feet. You can see a picture of the original here.

The designer for the new Clock Tower also designed that of Manchester Town Hall, which explains the similarities between the two. He was called Alfred Waterhouse and the new Clock Tower was built between 1885 and 1887, opening the following year in 1888. It is my favourite building in the town, and has attracted the attention of many famous people throughout history, with one of the most notorious being Adolf Hitler, who greatly admired it, and was rumoured to have a plan to ship it brick by brick to Germany if the UK was defeated.

Directly across the road from the Town Hall, is the Rochdale Cenotaph, the centre piece of the towns Memorial Gardens. It was built not long after World War I, and was unveiled by the 17th Early of Derby, Edward Stanely (1865 – 1948, British Solider and Ambassador to France) on November 26th 1922.

The flags on the side of the monument are actually made out of stone, which is incredible as they look so life like and we thought they were actual flags until we got up close. This is a credit to the architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869 – 1944, also designed the Cenotaph in London in 1920).

The shear scale of this area of the town is incredible, and there is a small park surrounding the Cenotaph, with a further little garden behind it. We stopped here later on for lunch, and just enjoyed the view, and the dazzling sunshine.

Rochdale town centre is a very open place, and located adjacent to the Town Hall. The centre is made up of a variety of old buildings, including Victorian Brick, as well as stone ones. There has been a lot of development here in recent years, and new modern buildings are springing up. A major part of the town centre is the new Metrolink Station, as Rochdale Town Centre is the terminus of the newest line of the Manchester Metrolink, which runs from East Didsbury to Rochdale via Manchester City Centre and the town of Oldham. The new station opened in March 2014, and previously trams stopped at the stop opposite Rochdale Railway Station from February 2013.

Rochdale is built up around the river Roch, we came across later. It was the river that gave the town it’s name, and it appears in the Domesday book as a place called Recedham, a manor that was part of the hundred of Salford, which was later gifted to Roger de Lacy (1170 – 1211, 6th Baron of Pontefract) by King Henry II (1133 – 1189) and then through various owners including the Dukes of Lancaster. At that time, Lancashire was split into 6 hundreds, with Salford covering the whole area including Manchester. As it grew, the towns name later changed to Rachedale, and then through to Rochdale today. There was no physical Manor House, however one was built in 1702, called “The Orchard”.

On this view you can see how open the town centre is. Like I said before, Rochdale Town Hall is visible from most places in the town, and it towers over all of the town centre.

The rest of the centre is made up of more ornate buildings, and there are very little of those new tacky shops that seem to dominate many towns. The area is very unspoilt and it’s a joy to explore. On the right you can see the smooth white exterior of the Old Post Office building, but I will come to that in a moment.

Nestled behind many of the buildings is the one main modern construction,  the Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre, which opened in 1976. Just up the road is another one, the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre, giving a wide variety of different shops.

In a small square outside the main entrance to the shopping centre is a sculpture made up of three sheep. Designed by an artist called Judith Bluck, they were unveiled by Gracie Fields (1898 – 1979, famous actress, singer and comedienne from Rochdale) in 1977. They have been moved numerous times for so called Health and Safety Reasons, the most notable being in 1995, however thanks to a local outcry it has been moved back to it’s original position.

It’s a great little sculpture, and the sheep look quite content basking in the sunshine.

Looking back at the Town Hall, we soon spotted the square tower of the local Church, up on a small hill behind it. We decided this would be our next stop, so we started heading in the churches direction, via a set of stone steps we could see over to the left out of shot.

At first glance the steps up to the Church looked quite normal, like any other set of steps, however a plaque on the wall at the bottom told us differently. It stated that:

“CHURCH STEPS. Pre-1660, repaired 19th century. Possibly dating back to the 12th century, these steps have been the key route linking the town centre to the Church of St Chad for hundreds of years. Mourning relatives would climb these steps and scatter rue & rosemary in ‘God’s Acre’ (St Chad’s Churchyard) as an offering, to ease the spirits of their loved ones.”

It’s incredible how old they are, and it makes them the oldest surviving feature in the town. A record was made in 1876, by William Robertson that there are 124 steps to the top, so I assume that is still the same to this day.

So this is St Chad’s, an impressive stone Church, which commands a great view over the town. Sadly the trees were in the way to prevent us seeing for ourselves, however from the top of the tower the whole town is visible.

The Church appears quite modern, but in keeping with the ancient steps, the Church itself dates back to around 1100, on land owned by Adam de Spotland. The basic framework of the Church still exists, although there have been many alterations, renovations and extensions over the centuries. This is visible at the back of the church, as on the picture the church was originally much shorter with greyer stone, which blends into an extension in a different shade of stone.

My original thought on Rochdale was a more modern town, based around the usual shopping streets. I was happily proved wrong, as a there is a great mixture of culture, history and incredible architecture throughout the town.

I mentioned before about the Old Post Office Building, which is one of my favourite buildings in the town. It’s more a palace than a Post Office, and this fine Georgian Building was opened as Rochdale Post Office back in 1927. The Post Office temporarily relocated from the building to an old Woolworths store on nearby Yorkshire Street, but returned to their historic home in 2005.

There are new plans from 2013 for the building to be converted into a bar and restaurant, moving the offices and Post Office out. It’s a shame, as its rare to find a building like this that is still being used for its original purpose, but hopefully the great character of the building won’t be harmed in any way.

After exploring the Town Centre, we moved off back past the Town Hall towards the Museum. On the way we stopped again to marvel at the Town Hall, and to gaze at the stonework.

There are stone ribs above the main entrance making a kind of canopy. At the top of each rib is a Gold Lion, four in total. They each hold shields with the Coats of Arms of Rochdale Council and the Hundred of Salford. The amount of detail on every part of the building is mind boggling, and I think the above picture is my favourite from Rochdale, as it makes London come to mind, a British Flag next to a beautiful Clock Tower. It’s not often you get such an iconic view recreated, especially in my beloved county of Lancashire.

On the way to the Museum, we spotted the river Roch, which runs through the centre of the town. It runs underneath most of the town centre, on one of the world’s widest bridges, created out of seven separate bridges joined together. This bridge runs under the Memorial Gardens and the Shopping Centres, with the river re-emerging uncovered just past Rochdale Town Centre Metrolink Stop.

The Rochs journey begins on Chelburn Moor near the town of Todmorden, and flows through Rochdale towards the town of Bury. From there it drains into the River Irwell which runs through Manchester and Salford. Just up the river, on the left is the Touchstones Centre, the local Arts and Heritage Centre.

It contains various exhibitions about the town, as well as  the Tourist Information Centre and the Library. One great little exhibit is electronic and by pressing different buttons you can see how long it would take to cross the Pennines via either Horse, Car, Train or Canal Boat, using lights that run up a board at different speeds depending on the method chosen.

The building itself is the town’s original Library, and opened in 1884, as the fire at Rochdale Town Hall destroyed the Library inside the Clock Tower. The building was extended twice, first in 1903 and then in 1913.

Inside the museum is one of the strangest things we have seen in a while, one of Rochdale’s most famous exhibits…

The above stones are called Celtic Stone Heads, and these particular ones were discovered in the nearby village of Wardle, and donated to the Centre. They were originally used as gate posts, and followed an old tradition, which believed that persons spirit lives in the head, so removing the head denies them anywhere to rest. The gate posts were possibly built to show that the traditions were still alive. The smaller of the two was supported by a fixed post to make it more secure.

They are quite creepy, yet fascinating at the same time. Models of both figures are available in the gift shop, and now sit on my shelf at home.

There is one other museum in Rochdale, called the Rochdale Pioneers Museum. It is built around the original Co-Operative Shop, with a modern extension on the left side. Inside are many artefacts related to the Co-Op and much more. The Co-Operative was formed by the Rochdale Society of Equitable Pioneers back in 1844, hence the name of the museum. The Co-Op now have their head office in Manchester, in a large office building called One Angel Square, not far from Victoria Station. The Pioneers Museum is located behind the Wheatsheaf Shopping Centre near the A58 main road.

It was time to start heading back to the station, so we passed through Broadfield Park on our way. This large open space is located up some steps off to the right of the Town Hall, and overlooks the Memorial Gardens.

The Park is the oldest in the whole district, opening in the 1870’s, with numerous expansions since. The main features of the Park are shown above, with the first being a general view out over the Park, with the Clock Tower of the Town Hall visible at the back.

Next is the Jubilee Fountain, which gives out drinking water. It was given to the town by the Provident Society in 1907. In the main green shown in the original picture is a statue, of John Bright, who I mentioned earlier.

The park is a very pleasant area, and only around a 5-10 minute walk from the main train station.

Getting close to the station, which is at the end of this road, with the Tram Tracks on the right along with Rochdale Railway Station Metrolink Stop, we passed the Fire Station. It has two functions, one as the town’s main fire station, and one as the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum, which is free to visit.

The HQ of the movement is in Swinton, near Salford. New stations were built in 1977, with the first in the town of Stalybridge near Ashton-under-Lyne. The Museum opened in 1983, with the conversion of an old Fire Station Workshop. Sadly we didn’t have time to go inside but there is a lot of history in there, with some very challenging situations developing for the department over the years, including the detonation of the IRA Bomb in Manchester City Centre in 1996 which damaged a third of the retail space in the city centre. 12 buildings were severely damaged and some parts of the area were only fully restored in 2005.

That was the end of our visit to Rochdale, and we returned to the train station and got the train back into Manchester Victoria, and changed for Southport. The station is on the Manchester – Huddersfield line with regular trains coming through.

Rochdale is well located transport wise, as it is sat at the end of the A627(M) an off shoot of the M62 which runs West towards Manchester and eventually Liverpool, and via Bradford and Leeds going East. Manchester Airport is only half an hour away by car, and trains from Manchester run all over the country from the North of Scotland to South Wales to the South of England.

Rochdale is an amazing town, there is so much history hidden in plain sight, and I love the Town Hall, which now occupies a spot on my list as my 2nd favourite building in England. Rochdale is great, and if you ever get to visit the area around Manchester, take a day to discover this most interesting of towns.

Greater Manchester Towns: Pt 2 – Dukinfield

After walking over the historic Lancastrian/Cheshire border from Ashton-under-Lyne, over the river Tame, we wandered through the town of Dukinfield, up to the impressive Town Hall and parks, and it was here that I would have an encounter of the furred kind…

Dukinfield:

Status: Tameside District, Greater Manchester (Historically Cheshire), Town, England

Date: 16/05/2014

Travel: Stagecoach (Banks – Southport), Northern Rail (Southport – Ashton-under-Lyne), Walk (Ashton-under-Lyne – Dukinfield), Northern Rail (Ashton-under-Lyne – Rochdale, via Manchester Victoria), Northern Rail (Manchester Victoria – Southport)

Eating & Sleeping: N/A

Attractions: Town Hall, War Memorials, Park, Old Post Office, Old Bank, Alma Bridge, River Tame, Robert Duckenfield Statue etc

Alma Bridge crosses the river Tame between Ashton-under-Lyne and Dukinfield, and marks the historic border between Lancashire and Cheshire, although both towns are now in Greater Manchester in the district of Tameside. The Tame runs on from here to Stockport where it meets the Goyt and becomes the river Mersey. Find out more about the bridge in my Ashton-under-Lyne post.

Our first stop was Dukinfield Town Hall, a grand building in the middle of the high street. It was built in a style called Domestic Gothic, and the top of the Clock Tower is visible from the centre of Ashton. The architects for the Hall were John Eaton & Sons from Ashton, and the Town Hall opened in 1901.

In the very centre is a magnificent Clock Tower, which contains 5 large bells, cast by John Taylor & Co from Loughborough in Leicestershire. The Clock itself was the work of J R Joyce & Co, the oldest clock making company in the world, formed in 1690. They later became part of the Smith of Derby Group in 1965.

Now that the town is part of the wider Tameside District most government functions were moved to Ashton which is the head of the district. Today the Town Hall doubles as a Register Office and a Leisure Centre.

Outside the Town Hall, in the middle of the square stands a statue of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Duckenfield (1619 – 1689) who was born in the town. He was part of a notable local family which can be tracked as far back as the 13th century.

In 1642 the English Civil War (ended 1651) broke out, and during the war Robert was a Parliamentarian Commander, loyal to Parliament and fighting King Charles I (1600 – 1649). In 1650 he became the Governor of Chester, and he commanded the capture of the Isle of Man. He was also the main commander that quelled the rebellion by Sir George Booth (1622 – 1684 Parliamentarian) against the son of Parliamentarian Chief Oliver Cromwell(1599 – 1658), Richard Cromwell (1626 – 1712).

There is a lot of local history around Robert and he is one of the towns proudest figures. The statue is very detailed, and was unveiled back in 2007.

I had heard that going up to the park in the town would afford a great view over Manchester City Centre, so we ascended the hill next to the Town Hall, where the road slopes quite steeply upwards.

On the side of the Town Hall were the words “Old Courthouse”. This area of the Town Hall once contained the Court Room and Police Cells, although this is now also defunct.

We soon reached the park, and it was a very pleasant place to relax on our travels. From here you can see the Clock Tower and Spire of the Town Hall far below us, and the top of the steps was supposed to be the place that gave the view of Manchester City Centre. Although it was a nice sunny day we couldn’t see anything, although it may have been a bit too hazy.

The park was full of smooth green grass, flowers and a children play park. There was one other feature in the park, a form of local wildlife.

The park is full of squirrels, running up and down the trees and across the paths. One decided to stop in front of us so we got some pictures and I bent down to get a nice close up one, when suddenly it took a flying leap and bit the end of my finger! So if you visit the town watch out for the scary squirrels :P.

We started walking back towards Ashton-under-Lyne, and there are a number of other interesting buildings along the high street, starting with the  Old Bank building. I can’t find a date for the building but it looks at least Victorian. Above the window is a coat of arms, which I assume is for the town itself.

The Tameside District coat of arms incidentally covers both Lancashire and Chester, with the Lancastrian Rose at the top half of the shield, the river underneath it and then the Cheshire Shreaves of Wheat at the bottom of the shield. This represents the historic divide between the two counties.

Opposite the Town Hall itself is the old Post Office building, one of a number of purpose built buildings like this all over the country. So far I haven’t be able to find a date for it but I will update the post if I do.

Further along the street, past the Town Hall, is an old house that was once part of the Openshaw Brewery Company. This particular brewery was called Newmarket Tavern and was opened by the OBC around 1870.

The building itself is stunning, and the patterns between the windows were a common feature of brewerys back then, and its a beautiful Victoria structure. It’s a shame that more buildings aren’t like this nowadays, a lot of modern housing is very drab, especially those built in the 70’s.

The last structure of note we saw was the Church of St Marks. The church was completed in 1847, and consecrated by the Bishop of Chester, as Dukinfield was of course part of Cheshire at that time. The tower wasn’t added until 1852 when the bottom section was built, and the top was put in by 1881.

Elsewhere in Dukinfield, away from the area we visited, are a few other attractions. These include Old Chapel, originally built in 1708 by Samuel Angler, with the current structure dating back to 1840. There are a number of War Memorials spread throughout the town, and there are at least 5 that we know of.

The only public transport in the town are buses, although the train and Metrolink stations in Ashton-under-Lyne are only 10 minutes walk from Dukinfield town centre and call at most places in the area including Manchester. Nearby airports include Manchester (14.8 miles) and Leeds–Bradford (49.7 miles).

Dukinfield is only a small town, but it is a pleasant place to visit and there are plenty of old buildings, and open spaces, and of course killer squirrels! :P. It was time to return to Manchester City Centre to get a train to Rochdale, so we walked back into Ashton and got the first train back to Manchester Victoria, to carry on our epic trip…

Greater Manchester Towns: Pt 1 – Ashton-under-Lyne

Our next adventure took place around Greater Manchester, where we visited three towns in one day. This involved a rather early start, and we got up at 5:20am to get an early bus, and were on the train by 8:00am from Southport. It was going to be an interesting day…

Ashton-under-Lyne:

Status: Tameside District, Greater Manchester (Historically Lancashire), Town, England

Date: 16/05/2014

Travel: Stagecoach (Banks – Southport), Northern Rail (Southport – Ashton-under-Lyne), Northern Rail (Ashton-under-Lyne – Rochdale, via Manchester Victoria), Northern Rail (Manchester Victoria – Southport)

Eating & Sleeping: Bake&Take

Attractions: Town Hall, Market Hall, Market Clock Tower, Market Square, Memorial Gardens, War Memorial, Town Hall Cannons Albion Church, St Michaels Church, Portland Basin, River Tame etc

We were quite lucky for this trip, as it turns out there is a direct train from Southport all the way to Ashton-under-Lyne which is on the far side of the Manchester. The station itself is also just over the road from the main points of interest in the town, so we soon got exploring.

We arrived in the Market Square, and looking round we soon spotted the impressive Town Hall, shown above. This ornate building was completed in 1840 (the first purpose built Town Hall in the area) with the tall Corinthian columns marking the entrance. It was later enlarged in 1878 when a large hall was added. Ashton-under-Lyne was a borough until 1974, however when it became part of Greater Manchester that year it lost this status and the Town Hall became defunct. It now houses the Museum of the Manchester Regiment. Ashton is the administrative centre of the borough of Tameside and new council offices adjoin the Town Hall so it is still the head of the area.

Standing outside the Hall is one of a number of Crown Posts in the Tameside District. Erected in 2002 in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee, instead of pointing to attractions in the town it points to the Tameside towns and areas of:

Audenshaw, Denton, Droylsden, Dukinfield, Hyde, Longdendale, Mossley, Stalybridge

The bottom sign of each pole seems to point towards London, as the one in Hyde points South, and the Ashton one points East. It’s a nice little celebration for the Jubilee, and its great to see the district as a whole got involved.

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed there are two large cannons at the top of the steps into the Town Hall. These are quite special, and an identical plaque on each one explains why:

“Turkish Gun. Taken by the 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers at Candia during the occupation of the Island of Crete by the Allied Forces 1897 – 1898 and presented to the depot. Subsequently presented to the trustees of the Manchester Regiment 2002.”

It refers to the Greco-Turkish War mainly fought in 1897, between Greece and the Ottoman Empire, who were arguing over which country was in control of Crete as it was already a province of Ottoman, but claimed by Greece. With the help of the European Powers Crete became an autonomous part of the Ottoman Empire and Greece was repelled, although they still succeeded in getting greater powers for Crete. This lasted until 1908 when Crete became part of Greece through a union between Crete and Greece.

These cannons actually replaced a set of Russian cannons captured during the Crimean War (1854 – 1856) and given to Ashton in 1858, which were taken away and melted down for materials during World War II.

The left hand cannon appears to be pointing at the Market Hall, but luckily it’s not loaded! The Market Hall is an enormous building from 1867, and one of the largest in the UK. Ashton has always been a Market Town, dating back to 1414 when a Royal Charter was granted to allow a market to be held every Monday. A number of mills were built in the 19th century and focus shifted to making Ashton a Mill Town however the Market is still an important part of the town.

Aside from the main building itself, stalls fill up the square outside it and there are lots of traders selling fresh produce and many other things throughout the day. It is quite unusual as the Market is actually held 7 days a week, as opposed to on specific days in other towns.

I really like the Clock Tower, which rises above many of the buildings in the area. It was badly damaged by a fire in 2004 but it has been fully restored and there is no evidence of the terrible fire.

Here you can see the many stalls laid out in the square, and it was a beautiful day to browse the many stalls. You can’t quite see them on the picture, however around the top of the Market Hall are some finely carved stone lions, looking out across the square.

We moved out of the Market Square, and in the general direction of the Memorial Gardens, just a few minutes walk away. On our little walk we passed a number of interesting things, staring with the statue of John Harrison, known locally as “Uncle John the Pieman”. He gave a lot of help to the poor in the 1800’s and in recognition of this a statue was unveiled here in 2005, by the Mayor of Tameside, Jacqueline Lane. The statue is located around the back of the Market Hall, along with our second stop of interest, the small Clock Tower.

It was enclosed by fences when the Market Halls Clock was being rebuilt following the 2004 fire, and when the fences were taken away supposedly each Clock face had a different time on it! It has been put to rights now however.

Our third stop of interest is a piece of public artwork called “The Family”. Standing 3.5 metres tall, this large steel sculpture is treated with Zinc to protect it against the weather, and was installed in 1995.

Ashton is an easy town to navigate, and the Memorial Garden was soon in our sights. Just across from it we stumbled on this charming little cul-de-sac called St Michael’s Square, with trees in the centre, cars parks around the outside and shops on one side. It’s a nice little area, and the trees were great shade from the beating hot sun.

There is a main road to cross from the cul-de-sac over to the Memorial Gardens, and as we waited to cross we spotted this, a replica of the Old Cross. It was put here in 1723, and is a replica of the original which is in Stamford Park.

So this is the Memorial Gardens, and it’s main feature is the stunning War Memorial, standing an incredible 35 feet tall. The main body of it is made out of 50 tons of Portland Stone, and there are a number of bronze statues located around it. The most prominent of these are the two lions who guard the names of the dead, and if you look closely, the lion on the left is fighting a large serpent, and the one on the right is stood over the dead serpent, having emerged triumphant.

On top of the central column are two more statues, one of a soldier holding laurels of gratitude in his left hand and one of a figure of peace with wings who is taking the sword from the soldier, the symbol of justice. It’s a beautiful construction, and some new concrete walls behind where I am standing commemorate soldiers from more recent conflicts including Iraq and Afghanistan.

From the Memorial Gardens you get a great view out at one of the many churches in the town, that of Albion Church, the Congregational Church. It is the second largest Congregation Church i the whole of England, and was completed in 1895.

Numerous buildings have preceded it, each larger than the last, from the original house in 1780 on Church Street, to the Albion Chapel on Penny Meadow in 1834, that was too small by 1889. The architect for the project to build a new, larger church was called Mr. John Brooke, and was an instant success when it was finished.

It’s a marvellous building, and I like the second spire in the middle of the roof, which gives it an interesting dynamic.

Directly opposite Albion is yet another Church, which is sat at the edge of the cul-de-sac, and also gives its name to it, as it is called the Church of St Michael & All Angels. It is far older than its neighbour, as the current building was completed in 1840 after a major restoration.

The history here goes back much further however, as the original Church was built around 1413 and enlarged around 1513. It was at this point that the Church was given a large tower, however in 1791 the tower was struck by lightning and had to be repaired, and was eventually replaced with a new one in 1818. During these works a fire broke out and damaged a large portion of the church and it lay in ruins until 1840 when it was restored.

Typically the tower was covered in scaffolding when we visited, but you get a good idea of how it would look. The tower itself is almost 140 feet tall, and a small area at the back of the church looks newer than the rest, and could be the result of subsequent restorations. It’s a grand looking building overall, and looks almost brand new.

Coming back in a circle near the town centre, we found what is possibly the grandest building in the town, the Heginbottom Technical School & Free Library, which is emblazoned on the side in large gold lettering.

It was built in 1890 and named after George Heginbottom, a local miller who gave much to the town. The original library resided in the Town Hall from 1880, and was moved in to the new building in 1893. The library still resides here, and the rest of the building contains the Tameside Art Gallery, the school having long since moved out.

It’s a stunning building, and the detail that has gone into it is very impressive. Ashton is full of a wide variety of architecture and it has been great fun to explore it all.

After exploring the town centre, the Churches and more, we headed off away from the town, towards the border with the neighbouring town of Dukinfield. (Pronounced Duck-in-field), marked by the River Tame. Interestingly, the border between Historic Cheshire and Historic Lancashire, long before Greater Manchester was created, was located here, so we are at the very edge of home county, Lancashire.

The Tame itself gives it’s name to the local borough of Tameside, and it’s source is located in a small village called Denshaw near the town of Oldham, also Greater Manchester. It then flows through Ashton and it joins with the River Goyt in the town of Stockport. Together the two rivers form the River Mersey which flows out into the Irish Sea at Liverpool and also marks the Lancashire/Cheshire border in Stockport, Runcorn and between the Wirral and Liverpool (now part of Merseyside).

I knew the historic county border was located here, but I wasn’t sure if it would be marked in anyway. Sure enough, there was an engraving on either side of the bridge, pointing to Dukinfield in Cheshire, and Ashton in Lancashire. This was our second historic county border, following on from our visit to Todmorden, where Lancashire and Yorkshire once met. The bridge itself is called Alma Bridge, which was built in 1855. It was named after the Battle of Alma, which is regarded as the first battle of the Crimean War (1853 – 1856) and a blue plaque is also located on the bridge, dedicated to the men of Ashton killed in the war.

We crossed over the border, and into the unknown, as we began the 2nd stage of our adventure, in our next Greater Manchester town, historically part of Cheshire…

Ashton-under-Lyne is a fascinating place, there is plenty of history to be found around the town, and of course it’s in a great location with easy access into the Pennines, Yorkshire and Manchester. The Market Place is a masterpiece and as you explore the area there are a number of interesting sculptures, gardens and churches. There are a few other things to see in the town, including the Dukinfield Junction/Portland Basin where the Ashton Canal and Peak Forest Canal meet up, very close to Alma Bridge. Here you can see some of the old equipment and boats. There is also the Ashton Hippodrome, which in 2004 celebrated 100 years of entertainment, with a blue plaque on the side unveiled by Ken Dodd (Famous comedian) that same year. Sadly it closed in 2008, but a threat of demolition was halted in 2009. It remains empty however a lot of the buildings exterior still shows off what an impressive building it was in its prime.

From the station you can get a direct train into Central Manchester, as well as to the towns of Huddersfield, Stalybridge, Southport and Wigan. The Manchester Metrolink tram system has a branch to Ashton and you can use it to connect to the other branches to Eccles, Rochdale and Oldham amongst others. Manchester International Airport is only a stones throw away and can get you anywhere in the UK or the world, so what better place to be transport wise.

We enjoyed our time in Ashton, it was a beautiful day, and we spent a good few hours exploring the town, and it’s a worthy addition to our travel map.